zapp2photo - stock.adobe.com Quantum moves from promise to practice at IBM Think 2026 Quantum computing is becoming a reality at major companies, from Boeing to Allstate. Quantum -- especially when paired with AI -- promises better business outcomes. BOSTON -- Quantum computing is finally producing results that matter to science and industry, according to presentations at IBM Think 2026. Quantum computing aims to use the unique behaviors of quantum physics to solve problems that are too complex for classical computing. It held a prominent spot alongside AI and hybrid cloud in the opening keynote of IBM Think, taking place in Boston this week. Presentations during the conference also included news that the Cleveland Clinic, RIKEN and IBM performed the largest-known simulation of biologically meaningful molecules with quantum hardware. Boeing and Allstate also presented on real-world quantum usage. While quantum computing has been in development for years, quantum advantage, the point at which quantum computers can perform computations more accurately and efficiently, has yet to arrive. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna predicted that quantum advantage will be reached within the year. "That's not 20 years away. That's not 10 years away. That's within this year," Krishna said during his keynote presentation on Tuesday. "The gap is closing faster than most people realize or appreciate." Quantum at work Cleveland Clinic, RIKEN and IBM used IBM quantum computers and two supercomputers -- Fugaku and Miyabi-G -- to simulate protein complexes spanning up to 12,635 atoms. The project's success was partly due to quantum-centric supercomputing, a hybrid approach that combines quantum computers with classical supercomputers to solve complex problems that neither could handle effectively on their own. This project simulated a system large enough to represent what exists in nature and achieved appropriate accuracy. In drug design, if scientists can reliably predict how molecules will